RELIGIOUS DELUSIONS - SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM

[Nicodemus]

RELIGIOUS DELUSIONS - SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM

Studies of the False Faiths of To-day


by


J. V. Coombs

Author of "Campaigning for Christ" and "Christian Evangelism"

~This book is in the public domain~


Cincinnati

The Standard Publishing Company


- 1904 -

[Nicodemus]

From the days of our SAVIOUR prophets have proclaimed the second advent of CHRIST. Ann Lee, Swedenborg, William Miller, Ellen While and others have set times when the LORD would come. Seventh-Day Adventists originated in the movement of William Miller, who was born 1781 in pkmtyolmachusetts. In 1833, in Low Hampton, N.Y., he began to preach that the end of the world was at hand. He set the date October 10, 1843. Thousands turned to this cry of warning and in ten years perhaps one hundred thousand people became Adventists. The craze swept from Maine to Ohio.

Adventists in 1843 did not sow the seed for the coming year. Why sow wheat if the end of the world is here? They kept their children out of school. On that eventful night the devotees of Miller put on their ascension robes and gazed into the heavens, waiting for the coming of the LORD, but midnight came and disappointment filled their hearts. Miller admitted the defeat, but became a "time-setter" again. He proclaimed that the second coming was 1844. He had erred in calculation, he told his followers. Another year they waited and watched, preached and sang. Their arguments were unanswerable. They knew they were right. With chart and Bible they went forth to convince the unbeliever and encourage the saint. But Miller met one opponent that put him to flight. Old remorseless Time marched past 1844 and demolished the follies of Adventism.

Two humiliating defeats should have made him cautious, but again he prophesied that 1945 would be the time for the second coming. This was too much for his deluded followers, and Millerism went to pieces. Out of the fragments Seventh-Day Adventism was constructed. Mrs. Ellen G. White became the prophetess. She was born in Maine, 1827. In 1840, at the age of thirteen, she heard Miller lecture on Adventism. She became a *time-setter and went forth to prepare the people for the coming of the LORD. She set the time for 1843, 1844 and 1845.

[Nicodemus]

Ellen G. White began to have dreams, hear voices, see angels and visions. Healing by prayer became a part of her teaching. She tells us that she saw Mrs. Curtis command a Mrs. Howland, who was very ill with the fever, to arise and be made whole. This command was given in the name of Jesus. Healing now became a part of her work. In 1846 she for the first time heard Elder Bates urge the people to keep the seventh day, the Sabbath. To this time she, with all the Millerites, kept the first day, or Sunday. She tells us she did not deem it of much importance then.

But shortly she had a divine revelation. She saw a wonderful light. "If this is not the Spirit of God, what is it? I don't know; therefore it is the Spirit of God." She says: "Jesus lifted the covering of the Ark, and to my amazement I saw the Fourth Commandment in the center of the ten, with a halo of light encircling it. I was shown by the angel that the true Sabbath was Saturday, established at the foundation of the earth, and if we had kept it there would have been no idolatry." The Sabbath question from that time on became the burning question to her. Yet she admits she did not keep it right for ten years, although an angel gave her the vision. Adventists began for ten years at 6 P.M. instead of sunset.

[Nicodemus]

Three things characterize Adventism: Prophecy, the Sabbath, the Sleep of the Soul.

1. As to Prophecy. -- Adventists have prophesied that the end of time would be 1843, '44, '45, 1850, '57, 1863, 1877, 1896, and on till we are dizzy counting. It there ever was a movement that has been a failure and a delusion, it is Millerism. Mrs. White has done no better. She preached the midnight cry of 1843-44, and taught Christ's coming would be 1845. Here are some of her foolish prophecies:

(a) Christ would come in 1844
(b) She said in 1856: "Many who are here will live to see the Lord come." A false prophecy.
(c) As a prophetess she declared the salvation of sinners ended in 1844. Now she pleads for sinners to come to Christ. False again.
(d) She tells us, 1849, that when Jesus comes the slaves would break their chains. Jesus has not come and slavery is no more.
(e) In 1862 she said: "This war cannot be settled successfully." It was. Another failure.
(f) In 1862, when our nation was under the storm and stress of life, this divine prophetess had a revelation about dress reform. "God would now have his people to put on the reform dress." This dress should be nine inches above the shoe. It was this revelation that caused many of the women to put on the old-time Bloomer. When Mrs. White began to teach this folly many of the sisters cried, some argued, a few rebelled, but most submitted. Sons and husbands would not go on the street with this bloomer. Mrs. White wore this indecent and ridiculous dress, but now she and all of the sisters have abandoned the silly reform. What was a divine revelation in 1862 has no binding force now. Mrs. White is living in rebellion against her own revelation. She had eleven volumes of what she and her dupes call divine revelations. In the latter volumes of her testimonies many of her revelations are omitted, for time had made them false prophecies. Dr. Canright, who knows all about Adventism, for he was one of their champions for years, says: "In 1885 her testimonies were published under the eyes of her son. I found an average of twenty-four changes of the words on each page. At the same rate, there would be 73,720 changes in her revelations." JESUS never had to change one word of His teachings. Mrs. White is a false prophetess.

[Nicodemus]

2. The Sabbath. --

The second great distinguishing feature of the Adventists is their teachings concerning the Sabbath. They claim the Sabbath, the seventh day, Saturday, should be kept as a holy day. They have not learned that the Ten Commandments and Penalties were Jewish state laws, and that no one was commanded to keep them as such except the people living in a little strip of country about 140 miles long and 50 miles broad. It was the Jewish nation, and that nation only, that could legally put a man to death for lying. The whole army of foolish declaimers from Robert Ingersoll to Mrs. White, has never realized that men were put to death for stealing by the authority of the Jewish state.

[Nicodemus]

THE SABBATH, AND THE LORD'S DAY

Before discussing the Sabbath question directly, let me preface it with a few words upon "rightly dividing the words of truth."

Paul admonished Timothy to rightly divide the word of truth. This is an important subject to-day. Nearly all the religious delusions, Adventism, Mormonism, Faith Cure and Christian Science, live because the Bible is not properly divided. Preachers seem not to see the difference between the authority of JESUS, the binding force of the Old Covenant and the New.

We often hear people say: "We think the whole Bible is binding upon us now." They do not believe what they say. They do not try to keep the following commandments:

1. GOD commanded every male child to be circumcised. Genesis 17:10-14. Do they circumcise their children?
2. GOD commanded the offering of sacrifices. Leviticus 23:19-20.
3. GOD commanded the lands to rest every seven years. Exodus 23:10-11.
4. GOD commanded three feasts every year. Exodus 23:14-15.
5. GOD said not to eat swine. Leviticus 11:7-8.
6. Do you wash one another's feet? Read John 13.
7. The holy kiss was enjoined. Do brothers kiss?

These laws were partly Jewish, partly custom, and not binding.

[Nicodemus]

There are three dispensational groups in the Bible: The Patriarchal, Jewish and Christian. Under the Patriarchal, we have the family; under the Jewish, the sate; under the Christian, the church. Under the Jewish, we have the law; under the Christian, the Gospel. What is true of one is not necessarily true of the other. That which would bless a Patriarch would condemn a Jew. That which was a rightous act for a Jew would be a sin for a Christian.

The Patriarch builded his own altar and offered his own sacrifice. But a Jew must let the priest offer the sacrifice. It would be wrong for him to offer it only through the priest.

It would be a sin for a Christian to offer a bloody sacrifice.

Some people say: "Can I not be saved like the Old Testament Jew and bring my little lamb to the altar?"

Certainly not. JESUS sealed His will when the veil of the Temple was torn. Now that His will is sealed, the testator dead and the executors made known, the terms of the will, the only way to get the blessings of the will is to comply with its conditions. We no longer go back to the old will or covenant made with the Jews, but to the covenant made by JESUS. The old covenant has been made a dead will by the new will. Some people must blend covenants in order to get seventh-day Sabbaths, infant membership, and infant baptism.

[Nicodemus]

But the entire covenant, Ten Commandments and all, gave way to the law of CHRIST.

The Jewish law was given to govern the Jews in their childhood period. The Gospel is higher law and supersedes the law. The Gospel is perfect. The Ten Commandments were defective. They did not condemn drunkenness, enjoin love or urge charity. No one word of love in them. A man could lie in his bed seven days in the week, and be drunk all the time, and not violate the Ten Commandments.

A man may keep the Ten Commandments perfectly and be lost.

[Nicodemus]

THE SABBATH ESTABLISHED

The first mention of the Sabbath is Exodus 16:23. The race had then marched 2,500 years across the centuries. There is no evidence at all that any one ever kept the Sabbath prior to this time.

Sabbatarians tell us that it was established at creation. Genesis 2:1-3.

It is important to notice that there is no mention of the Sabbath here. Genesis 3:20 says Adam called his wife Eve because she was the mother of all the living. Yet she, at the time Adam spoke, was the mother of no one. Moses looking backward 2,500 years said Eve was the mother of all living. If the mention of the seventh day had anything whatever to do with the Sabbath, Moses was simply taking a retrospective view.

The Sabbath was the seventh day of the week, or Saturday.

"8. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
"9. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
"10. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
"11. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Exodus 20.

No work was to be done on the Sabbath. Exodus 20:10.

"13. Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.
"14. Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you. Every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whoseover doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
"15. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
"16. Wherefore the Children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
"17. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed." Exodus 31.

[Nicodemus]

The penalty of violation was death.

"2. Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.
"3. Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the Sabbath day." Exodus 35.

To pick up sticks or build a fire was a violation.

"32. And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day.
"33. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
"34. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
"35. And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
"36. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses." Numbers 15.

The Old covenant was the Ten Commandments

"12. And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude: only ye heard a voice.
"13. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. Deuteronomy 4.

"9. When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights; I neither did eat bread nor drink water." Deuteronomy 9.

"27. And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.
"28. And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments." Exodus 34.

[Nicodemus]

All other laws were enactments under this covenant, which was the supreme law of the land.

This old covenant was to be replaced by a new covenant.

"31. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
"32. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
"33. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
"34. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Jeremiah 31.

The old covenant, the Ten Commandments, with all enactiments, "the laws of Moses," was abrogated, hence as such have no binding force.

"14. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace" Romans 6.

"4. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." Romans 7.

"24. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
"25. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." Galatians 3.

"13. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespkmtyolpes;
"14. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
"15. And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
"16. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days:
"17. Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." Colossians 2.

[Nicodemus]

Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for the make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;" Ephesians 2.

"3. Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
"4. And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
"5. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
"6. Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
"7. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
"8. How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
"9. For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
"10. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
"11. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
"12. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
"13. And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
"14. But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. II Corinthians 3.

"6. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
"7. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
"8. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
"9. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
"10. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
"11. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
"12. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
"13. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. Hebrews 8.

[Nicodemus]

The Sabbath was given to the Jew only, and was a sign beteen the Lord and Israel.

"2. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.
"3. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of here alive this day." Deuteronomy 5. (See Exodus 34:27-28).

"29. See, for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days: abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day." Exodus 16. (Exodus 31:17)

"9. There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
"21. And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt." I Kings 8.

[Nicodemus]

Our Sabbatarians try to make an argument out of the expressions, "perpetual Sabbath," "you shall keep it forever," etc. They tell us that this means that the Sabbath will always be binding. But this line of argument would perpetuate the whole Jewish law.

The law says: "Ye shall keep a feast to the Lord, forever." Do we keep the feasts?

The Jews were told to keep "A perpetual incense before the Lord." All these laws were perpetuated as long as the Jewish Dispensation continued, no longer. The slave was to serve his master forever, that is as long as he lived. The Advents tell us that if the Jewish law is annulled, and the Ten Commandments are done away, that it is not a sin to steal. It was wrong to steal before the Ten Commandments were given. It would be wrong to steal if the Ten Commandments had never been given. The giving of the law to Moses simply made the commands civil laws with penalties. Moses made adultery a crime. JESUS makes it a sin that will the soul. To our objectors let us say plainly: There is not one single command binding that is not found in the New Testament that is not found in the New Testament. Everything that is necessary for me to do in order to become a Christian and everything that I should do because I am going to heaven is clearly taught in the New Testament. My whole duty to GOD and man is found in the teaching of JESUS and the Apostles. CHRIST, not Moses, is our teacher. All the Ten Commandments save one are re-enacted in the new covenant from fifty times to three times, and are therefore binding. Reverence for GOD is enjoined fifty times, the condemnation of adultery twelve times, and idolatry three times. We place them here side by side.

[Nicodemus]

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

"1. Thou shalt have no other Gods before "1. We preach unto you that ye should
me." Ex. 20.3 turn from these vanities unto the
living God, which made heaven and
earth and the sea." Acts 14:15

"2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any "2. Little children keep yourselvs from
graven image; * * * thou shalt not bow idols. John 5:21
down to them nor serve them." Exo. 10:4-5

"3. Thou shalt not take the name of the "3. But above all things, my brethren,
Lord thy God in vain." Exo. 20:7 swear not, neither by heaven,
neither by the earth, neither by
any other oath." James 5:12

"4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it "4. There is no command in all the New
holy. Exo. 20:8 Testament to keep the seventh day
after the resurrection.

"5. Honour thy father and thy mother" "5. Children, obey your parents in the
Exo. 20:13. Lord, for this is right" Eph. 6:1

"6. Thou shalt not kill." Exo. 20:13 "6. Thou shalt not kill." Rom. 13:9

"7. Thou shalt not commit adultery." "7. Neither fornicators nor idolators
Exo. 20:14 * * * shall inherit the kingdom of
God." I Cor. 6:9-10.

"8. Thou shalt not steal." Exo. 20:15 "8. Steal no more." Eph. 4:28.

"9. Thou shalt not bear false witness." "9. Lie not." Col. 3:9.
Exo. 20:16.

"10. Thou shalt not covet." Exo. 20:17. "10. Covetousness, let it not be named
among you." Eph. 5:3.


AUTHORITY FOR THE NEW COVENANT

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Matt. 28:18.

If all authority is given to JESUS, Moses had no authority. He gave the Apostles authority to make law.

"19. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matt. 16.

"23. Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained." John 20.

And command given by the Apostles is therefore from CHRIST and binding.